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2011 July 23 — Why Now?
On-line Opinion Magazine…OK, it's a blog
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Stage 20

Tour de FranceGrenoble

Distance: 42.5 kilometers.

The individual time trials are on tap today in a loop out from Grenoble. With less than a minute separating the top three in the general classification, people will be pushing it, especially Cadel Evans of Australia.

Tony Martin won the trials, but Cadel was only 7 seconds behind in second, and Alberto came in third at + 1′ 06″. Andy Schleck has to settle for second … again.

I saw a presentation on the bike that Cadel rode for the time trials. Wonderful piece of carbon fiber, and you can buy one for only €12,000 [$17,240 US – plus tax, tag, title, transportation, dealer prep]. Remember, it’s almost lighter than the cash it takes to pay for it, so even a small child can carry it.

Yellow Jersey Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 141 ) [Yellow] 83h 45′ 20″
Green Jersey Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 171 ) [Green] 280 points
Polka Dot Jersey Samuel Sanchez ( Esp – EUS – 021 ) [Polka Dot] 108 points
White Jersey Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 188 ) 11 [White]

Team: Garmin-Cervelo ( 051-059 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Tony Martin ( Ger – THR – 175 )
Combative: [Not awarded for time trial.]

They’ve gone 3,335.0 kilometers [2,072.3 miles] at an average speed of 39.8 kph [24.7 mph] →.

OVERALL STANDINGS:
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July 23, 2011   3 Comments

In Local News

The Local Puppy Trainer tells us that Local jobless rates rose in June; rates also increased across state

David Goetsch, a local economist and vice president for community relations and workforce development at Northwest Florida State College, also expected to see an increase, but for different reasons.

“Because of the looming problem with the budget in Congress where nobody knows if they’re going to compromise, let it fail or raise the debt ceiling, nothing is happening in government,” Goetsch said. “There’s no government spending going on right now. Think of all of the employers nationwide, in the state and locally who have government contracts — nothing is happening. They’re not getting any new contracts and then the contracts they have, they’re not getting paid. Payment is going out to 120 days instead of 30 days. What that’s doing is forcing layoffs.”

Goetsch said he expects to see local jobless rates level off for July. However, depending on what happens in Washington, D.C., he said it is possible another recession could result.

“We’re inching toward that,” Goetsch said.

The rate went up even though the tourist sector was hiring for the summer. We are in deep yogurt, but no one in the DC Bubble seems to have noticed.

July 23, 2011   Comments Off on In Local News

A Crusade, Not A Jihad

The BBC follows up: Scores killed in Norway attacks

At least 84 people died when a gunman opened fire at an island youth camp in Norway, hours after a bombing in the capital Oslo killed seven, police say.

Police have charged a 32-year-old Norwegian man over both attacks.

The man dressed as a police officer was arrested on tiny Utoeya island after an hour-long shooting spree.

The suspect is reported by local media to have had links with right-wing extremists. He has been named as Anders Behring Breivik. Police searched his Oslo apartment overnight and are questioning him.

The BBC’s Richard Galpin, near the island, says that Norway has had problems with neo-Nazi groups in the past but the assumption was that such groups had been largely eliminated and did not pose a significant threat.

“At Utoeya, the water is still being searched for more victims,” deputy police chief Roger Andresen told reporters.

“We have no more information than… what has been found on [his] own websites, which is that it goes towards the right and that it is, so to speak, Christian fundamentalist.”

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July 23, 2011   Comments Off on A Crusade, Not A Jihad